I am a novice golfer and I need help.?

Question

I have been playing golf for almost 4 months and I have a major problem to deal with. It sounds extremely stupid but it is so true. When I practice all alone I do fantastic. I can hit my driver 300 yards and hit all my irons very well. When I practice or play in front of any type of audience I am PATHETIC. I know it's probably because I try to hard and try to swing too hard but I end up shanking or slicing every single ball I hit. I mean I was just hitting my 7 iron about 75 yards out and 40 yards to the right on my slice. I don not know what to do. I have tried to relax as much as possible and just focus on the ball but it does not work. Like I said, when I practice all by myself I play very well but when I am even in front of 2 people I cant play worth a darn. It is not because I am afraid of people or anything. I am studying to be a news reporter and I love being on camera and talking to people so I know it's nothing crazy like I am just afraid of people. This only happens when I play. If anyone can help me at all I would greatly appreciate it. I have even had thoughts of quitting because I get so frustrated about this problem. I mean I have thought, "What is the point of playing golf and being good at it if I am the only one who can see it." I really need help. Thanks a lot.

Answer 1

i played golf in college, and when i was in high school and first started playing in front of people i didn't know i had the same problem and it was bad! Really what it comes down to is confidence. At first when I stepped to the first tee all I thought about was smoothing it and hitting it semi solid. Then as I started to get better my thought process changed again. After I became a pretty good player I always thought the same thing every time i stepped to the first tee "WATCH THIS". I became good enough and had enough that every one should see how good of a shot i was about to hit. Obviously I didn't hit it great every time, but i thought i was going to. My other advice is to practice more. Lets be honest you might hit it 300 on occasion but you dint do it all the time. find your comfort zone and grove that swing and keep a little in reserve. If you can hit it 250-270 consistently you will out drive most guys you play with. Slow it down and work on your short game!!!!

Answer 2

It doesn't sound stupid at all.....I would estimate that most golfer in this world are "driving range pros". What I have found is that we really aren't as good as we think on the driving range. Set some realistic targets and variances from that target. I think what you will find is that although you aren't in the water or any sand trap, you missed your target by enough that had you been on the course, it would have been.



Also, to simply say relax and stop trying so hard, is not as easy as it sounds and I recognize that. But in all honesty, I always equate the golf swing to driving a car. We get in this heavy piece of metal that cost at least $20,000, start it up and proceed down highways at 65-75 mph surrounded by other huge, heavy pieces of metal going at the same speed. If you really think about it, it is a death trap with a low margin for error. Think about what would happen if you were driving down the highway going 65mph and you turn your wheel 15ft to the left. The thing is, you don't think about it....you do it everyday and are successful with it because you have done it so many times and have enough confidence that you probably do it talking on a cell phone and drinking coffee. This is called confidence and developing motor skills. If you have spent as much time on the driivng range and are realistically hitting the great shots that you say you are, than RELAX. Go up to the ball, take a deep breat, see your shot in your mind and SWING. Whatever happens, happens. The worst thing that could happen is you end up behind or tree or out of bounds....nobody died.

Answer 3

This is a very common problem for beginners, and even some season veterans. Performance anxiety can be hard to overcome. My suggestion is to start practicing when there is a lot of people around. Try to get used to people watching you hit shots. Golf is not a game of perfect, it's a game of recovery. I'd start by picking a really nice day when there are lots of people on the range. Just start hitting balls, bad or good, people will see you. In time, you won't care what people see or think. It's your golf game, not their's.



Best of luck.

Answer 4

It sounds like you have a little bit of social or performance anxiety. The only way to effectively overcome performance anxiety or any anxiety disorders for that matter is to look carefully at how you see and feel about yourself. You need to identify what kind of past experience may have gotten you to where you are. You can also look into some forms of meditation, most people don't take this road but it can be effective.



There are other tools that can help retrain the way you think and identify with things. You can find more information her: http://tinyurl.com/yl8x67r



Hope this helps!

Answer 5

Just calm down and relax and pretend that you are out on the range by your self hitting balls. I used to have this problem but that helped.

Answer 6

It's because you're worry if you make bad shots people will see you. IT's about believing your own shots. Trust your swing and you'll do better.

Answer 7

When im a child, i always nervous on the platform when lots of looking at me, so my teacher told to me , just feel they are potatos.LOL